Tales of Tomorrow (TV Series) Ice from Space (1952) User Reviews

Decent bit of Sci-fi.

[gordonl56 · 7/10 · 9 September 2012]

Ice From Space – 1952 This episode of TALES OF TOMORROW is set at a rocket base out in the desert.

A test rocket returns to earth with a rather unexpected cargo. The cargo? A slab of ice has somehow formed inside the rocket.

The base commander, Edmon Ryan, has the block of ice removed from the ship and stored. There seems to be a problem with the ice however. It radiates cold and everything starts to freeze. A zone of 1-2 miles of desert drops to 20 below zero.

Each day the frozen area grows and the Army has no idea how to stop it. Visiting Congressman Raymond Bailey demands Ryan destroy the slab. Everything is tried, fire, explosives etc with no success.

The frozen area has now reaches 50 miles around the base. Ryan orders the slab loaded onto another rocket. He will launch himself and the ice into deep space.

A not bad little episode which features Paul Newman in his first screen appearance. (b/w)

Newman Is Interesting to Watch

[Hitchcoc · 5/10 · 8 August 2013]

A top secret rocket returns to earth. In it is a large chunk of ice. This is no ordinary ice, however. It has the capabilities of freezing everything in its surrounding area. It has to be stopped somehow, but melting doesn't work, hacking, chopping, nothing. And it appears to be like the Blob because if it were to be blown up, pieces would probably begin to react wherever they landed. Most of the episode takes place in an office where a congressman argues about the expense of this project with a military man named Dozier. The other elephant in the room is Paul Newman in his debut on television. He works to come up with something to recommend this clunker. As an episode it is talky and endless. The acting by the others, including Raymond Bailey, the banker on the Beverly Hillbillies, is really lacking. And the sets are just plain awful. A chair and a desk make up most of it, and, of course, a chunk of ice, purchased at some fifties ice house (if you look carefully, you can see that it is melting).

TALES OF TOMORROW: Ice From Space (Don Medford, 1952) **1/2

[Bunuel1976 · 5/10 · 23 January 2010]

This episode is chiefly remembered for introducing Paul Newman in a supporting role, but it proves quite engaging – if essentially verbose (not unlike THE THING FROM ANOTHER WORLD [1951], in fact) – all the way through. Actually, it was rather amusing watching his trademark "Method" acting in a sci-fi context…though, in all fairness, he would return much later to a similarly 'frozen wasteland' scenario – needless to say, on a much bigger scale – in Robert Altman's cryptic (and most atypical) QUINTET (1979). The central premise is sound enough, while undeniably redolent of the 1950s curiosity about space travel and the notion of just what might be 'out there'…but the final result is decidedly studio-bound and cramped by the ultra low-budget. By the way, lip-synch issues manifested themselves throughout the entire program (as they had done, coincidentally, during another TV effort featuring a pre-stardom Newman i.e. THE CONTENDER {1954}).

Paul Newman Lands Safely on the Small Screen

[wes-connors · 4/10 · 7 January 2011]

A rocket ship returns to Earth from a "top secret" mission in space. Project supervisor Edmon Ryan (as Dozier), congressional sponsor Raymond Bailey (as Burns), and German scientist Michael Gorrin (as Meshkoff) are startled when the ship is revealed to have accumulated a very large slab of ice. Young sergeant Paul Newman (as Wilson) joins the others in concern. The "Ice from Space" causes Mr. Ryan to quarantine the area. Instead of melting, the ice seems to be willfully freezing its surroundings...

This episode's plot resembles "The Thing" (1951). It's most notable for being Paul Newman's debut appearance. At first, Newman seems like he's a non-speaking extra, but keep watching as Newman takes his place among the quartet of top-billed men. He works hard to make an impression, in his very first motion picture appearance. Note how Newman introduces his character chewing gum; he wants to be noticed. Newman shows good reactions while co-stars speak, and has a fine speech of his own, near the end.

**** Ice from Space (8/8/52) Don Medford ~ Paul Newman, Raymond Bailey, Edmon Ryan, Michael Gorrin

"It's a strange thing we have on our hands."

[classicsoncall · 3/10 · 19 April 2023]

Suspend all disbelief before watching this episode! If I didn't know better I would have thought the story was written by a third grader. Here are just some of the things the script had to offer: An experimental rocket called the Aerobee-76 is shot into space and goes missing for a period of time. OK, so far, so good. When it's finally seen again, it's crash landed on a ranch ten miles from the launch point. Inside the rocket is a huge cube of what appears to be blue ice. How did it get there? Chief project manager Major Dozier (Edmon Ryan) and his team can't figure it out. The object begins to freeze everything in its immediate surroundings until at one point an area three hundred miles surrounding the 'ice' has been frozen solid. So what does Dozier do? He decides to launch the AR-76 into space again with him aboard to blow it up while sacrificing himself. But wait a minute - why didn't the rocket ship freeze with everything else around it? How does a rocket ship get launched without any preparation on a moment's notice? For that matter, how does Major Dozier get the space ship off the ground without anyone else knowing about it?

Look, I know this was an early television sci-fi story, but it's not like other competent TV and movie scripts hadn't been written before. The circumstances in the program are contradictory in and of themselves. It appears that I'm an outlier here since most of the other reviews here are fairly complementary, so I have to assume that the writers are willing to give the story a major pass on the inconsistencies. In my case, I just can't suspend critical thinking when I watch something.

Creative Science Fiction on a Shoestring Budget

[sjeremko1 · 9/10 · 2 December 2013]

"Ice from Space" is an excellent example of early, live TV that reveals how creativity and ingenuity can trump limitations imposed by tiny budgets and lack of special effects. "Ice from Space" boasts a wonderful ensemble cast that convincingly essays a good script and story line.

Featured in the lead role of Major Dozier is prolific character actor Edmon Ryan who is engaged for most of the tale in verbal duel with the skeptical Congressman Burns (Raymond Bailey). Ryan's balanced performance as Dozier effectively conveys the burden of responsibility under increasingly more dangerous conditions, all while fending off the annoying and personal criticism from the congressman. It's nice to see Raymond Bailey taking on a serious role; quite a departure from his comedic Mr. Drysdale character from "The Beverly Hillbillies". Veteran Polish (Yiddish) actor Michael Gorrin brings sincerity into his role as bewildered scientist Dr. Meshkoff, who acts as a sensible buffer between the major and the congressman. Rounding out the small cast is a young Paul Newman as the energetic Sgt. Wilson.

Much tension already exists by the time the mysterious block of radiating space ice arrives on Earth in the much-delayed, unmanned return flight. The storyline glosses over how the ice stowed away on the ship – and instead (and correctly) focuses on the rapidly expanding frozen menace that threatens the entire world. The cast effectively carries the narrative on the strength of dialog and earnest performances. This episode also makes use of an effectively moody background score. The simplistic set design works to advantage as the viewer must pay close attention to what has been said. This story would have also made an excellent adaptation to radio. During the time "Tales of Tomorrow" was on television, the Golden Age of Radio was still in full swing – at that time featuring the landmark sci-fi series "Dimension X".

"Ice from Space" ranks among my favorite ToT programs; I gave it a high score for its thoughtful approach, dedicated performances and compelling story.

Simply terrific

[planktonrules · 9/10 · 3 September 2012]

The biggest problem with the episodes from "Tales of Tomorrow" is that they had a budget of what appears to be 89 cents! Too often the sets and costumes looked terrible. Now this isn't just because it was a very early TV show--other shows of the time like "Playhouse 90" and "DuPont Cavalcade" had much higher production values. Its problem was that ABC was the fourth network at the time--ranking even below the Dumont Network and ABC just didn't have a lot of money compared to NBC and CBS. However, "Ice From Space" managed to work around these shortcomings very well. Most of this is because they didn't use a monster or robot--just a few military uniforms and very simple sets. But none of this mattered, as the script was great and really satisfies.

The show begins with a congressman (Raymond Bailey) probing about at the headquarters for the US space program. Of particular concern is HOW a spaceship just disappeared! However, soon the ship is found and on it is a VERY peculiar passenger. What exactly it is and what happens, you should find out for yourself. But I should point out that it is HIGHLY original and really knocked my socks off--it was very compelling and deserves to be seen.

Clever early sci-fi teleplay

[jamesrupert2014 · 8/10 · 11 December 2021]

A wayward experimental rocket finally returns to Earth containing a strange block of ice that soon begins to freeze the surrounding desert. This episode of the venerable sci-fi anthology series is an excellent example of the numerous low-budget sci-fi teleplays that came out early in the decade, and manages to create an interesting and inventive story with a minimum of sets and props. The narrative wisely avoids exposition and whether the strange mass of frozen material is a natural phenomenon, a product of extra-terrestrial technology, or a truly alien lifeform, is never resolved. The characters are sketchily drawn and the acting superficial, but the ongoing conflict between the congressman (Raymond Bailey, a household face a decade later as Milburn Drysdale on the 'Beverly Hillbillies') and the Major after the base is 'locked down' is reasonably well done (for a 22 minute story). The episode is likely best known for being one of future Hollywood-royalty Paul Newman's first acting roles but is well worth watching in its own right.